[innsertnamehere]

Tree clearing has started on the plots of land in red at Hanlon/Woodlawn (Hwy 7 ) in Guelph for what I can only imagine is site prep for the new Highway 7.

Articulated Haulers were being delivered to the large site today, suggesting earthworks are up next pretty soon.

My best guess is they are going to shift the current intersection westwards to accommodate construction hence the smaller site on the SW corner?

View attachment 648931

MTO has a 2021 contract number (2021-3018) for the Woodlawn Road interchange here, but as far as I can tell, the contract has never actually gone to tender. Perhaps it just isn't visible online any longer.

The plan for Woodlawn is a split interchange, with ramps on the west side of the highway meeting with Woodlawn Road, and the east side ramps being a bit further north and connecting to Silvercreek Parkway where Curtis Road is today.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Also - the Dunlop Road interchange replacement contract on the 400 has been awarded (2024-2013).

The preliminary design for the $120 million interchange includes a new, 6-lane overpass over the 400 and expanded ramps and re-aligned local roads:

MTO notable exprorpiated an entire commercial plaza on the southeast side of the interchange a few years ago to accommodate larger off-ramps. The plaza was demolished in 2022 in anticipation of the project.

This is the second-last interchange contract to go out on the original 1952 highway. Bayfield Street, one interchange to the north, includes the last original bridge structure over the 400, and is due for a similar replacement next year.

 

[lenaitch]

Also - the Dunlop Road interchange replacement contract on the 400 has been awarded (2024-2013).

View attachment 649027

The preliminary design for the $120 million interchange includes a new, 6-lane overpass over the 400 and expanded ramps and re-aligned local roads:

View attachment 649030

MTO notable exprorpiated an entire commercial plaza on the southeast side of the interchange a few years ago to accommodate larger off-ramps. The plaza was demolished in 2022 in anticipation of the project.

This is the second-last interchange contract to go out on the original 1952 highway. Bayfield Street, one interchange to the north, includes the last original bridge structure over the 400, and is due for a similar replacement next year.

And it's going to require a piece of a commercial mall on the n/w corner at Cedar Pointe. It is required for 400 widening but it will also improve a major bottleneck on Dunlop.

 

[north-of-anything]

And it's going to require a piece of a commercial mall on the n/w corner at Cedar Pointe. It is required for 400 widening but it will also improve a major bottleneck on Dunlop.

They better not touch PizzaCapo. They have really good pizza there, meanwhile the place across the street just dunks their dough in cornmeal.

 

[innsertnamehere]

I would also like to report that tree clearing has also been happening along portions of the HWY 3 corridor in St. Thomas and Elgin County, I drove by this weekend and there was pretty significant clearing near the future Wonderland Road interchange and along some portions of the corridor that has been reserved for the twinning.

This contract appears to be out to tender currently.

https://www.raqs.merx.com/public/bulletin/contractView.jsf?id=659588438

Workload rating seems generally low to me given the known scope. Final bids usually come somewhere around the maximum workload rating item - plus or minus a bit. I would figure the highway 3 work would be well north of $130 million.

 

[Toronto_Boy]

While driving on DVP, I noticed private buses (Flex busses) were using the HOV lanes to bypass the traffic. I was under the impression, those HOV lanes were only meant for public transit buses such as TTC, GO Buses etc.
Am I wrong in understanding how this portion of the HOV lanes work? Love to hear from the experts on this. Thanks!

 

[Steve X]

While driving on DVP, I noticed private buses (Flex busses) were using the HOV lanes to bypass the traffic. I was under the impression, those HOV lanes were only meant for public transit buses such as TTC, GO Buses etc.
Am I wrong in understanding how this portion of the HOV lanes work? Love to hear from the experts on this. Thanks!

If you read the signs, it says authorized vehicles only with TTC and GO logos. So they are using it illegally.

As to enforcement, many cars also identifies as a GO/TTC bus. Must be really bad luck if they ever get caught.

 

[drum118]

Anyone have a timeframe when the Creekbank interchange maybe built as I haven't come upon it???

 

[north-of-anything]

Construction at the County Road 88 interchange in Bradford West Gwillimbury is underway. No lane closures yet, but a lot of earth works along the new alignment. The McKinstry Road intersection has been closed off, and I believe I saw some grading for the relocation of the south end of McKinstry farther east.

Yesterday

 

[ericmacm]

Looks like Ontario is removing tolls on HWY 407E and keeping the gas tax cut permanent. The government is projecting average household savings of $115/year with the gas tax cut, and estimated commuter savings of up to $7,200/year with the HWY 407E toll removal.

I suspect that this will greatly reduce the need for the HWY 7 widening project.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Looks like Ontario is removing tolls on HWY 407E and keeping the gas tax cut permanent. The government is projecting average household savings of $115/year with the gas tax cut, and estimated commuter savings of up to $7,200/year with the HWY 407E toll removal.

I suspect that this will greatly reduce the need for the HWY 7 widening project.

The Highway 7 widening project parallels the 407ETR. The part of Highway 7 paralleling 407 East is already 4 lanes.

If anything this will increase the demand on Highway 7 west of Brock Road, further necessitating it.

I also suspect there will increasingly be a large volume of vehicles exiting at Brock Rd and making a jog to Hwy 7 - luckily the intersection is already built for a double-left queue on Brock Rd to Hwy 7, but MTO may want to make some improvements to the 407-Brock Rd off-ramp.

 

[bearcat]

Looks like Ontario is removing tolls on HWY 407E and keeping the gas tax cut permanent. The government is projecting average household savings of $115/year with the gas tax cut, and estimated commuter savings of up to $7,200/year with the HWY 407E toll removal.

I suspect that this will greatly reduce the need for the HWY 7 widening project.

"Ford also confirmed that he plans to proceed with building a tunnel under Hwy. 401 across the GTA as he has proposed before.

“We’re looking at every option out there, but the 407 – all 400 series highways – will be maxed out in the next 10 years,” Ford said. “We know the 401’s maxed out. I drive by there at midnight, like, I don’t know where everyone’s going. It’s absolutely jammed at midnight. So we’re going to move forward with that, you know the tunnel. It’s going to be a great project.”

He said digging under Hwy. 401 would be “relatively easy” compared to the “complicated digs” involved for the subway expansion the province is carrying out."

See, it will be "relatively easy", no trouble at all.

 

[IRT_BMT_IND]

The east 407 becoming free really diminishes the importance of the RIRO segment of the 115. I wonder if it would make sense to redesignate the eastern segment of the 115 (which is built to 400 series standards) as the 407 and retire the 115 designation altogether (the RIRO segment would be 35 only).

 

[afransen]

Looks like Ontario is removing tolls on HWY 407E and keeping the gas tax cut permanent. The government is projecting average household savings of $115/year with the gas tax cut, and estimated commuter savings of up to $7,200/year with the HWY 407E toll removal.

I suspect that this will greatly reduce the need for the HWY 7 widening project.

So... Can we put to bed the idea that drivers pay for the cost of roads? Gas tax cut to basically nothing, registration fees eliminated...

 

[afransen]

See, it will be "relatively easy", no trouble at all.

Barely an inconvenience.